Month: September 2013

Tarbert Music Festival

Tarbert Music Festival

by TartanJogger ♥ 6 Comments

I know I’ve said before that I’m lucky to live in a small village that has lots of events, which benefit locals and tourists, too. Well, this weekend is no different, as it is the Tarbert Music Festival!

Although we have lived in the village for almost six years, we have always been away for this weekend, except for the 2011 event, when we were able to stay home, and go to the music festival. We had a great time! Each of the pubs and hotels had different bands on during the day and evening, and there was a large marquee at the pier, with live music and a bar. It was fantastic!

This weekend, we’re also home and so we’re hoping to see some of the bands this year.

Here’s the schedule, as  it stands at the moment:

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And you can find the festival website here

I’m not sure how much running I’ll be doing- but there will be plenty of toe tapping and, dare I say it? Dancing?

Today’s Stats:

Run: 5K, easy run

Time: 31:33

Trainers: Lunar Fly GTX

Weather: drizzly. Cool, but not cold

First Running Track of the Day:

Today’s Life Lesson: not everyone appreciates Christmas scented plug-ins in September…

Do you have any weekend plans?

Is it a Harvest Moon Thing?

Is it a Harvest Moon Thing?

by TartanJogger ♥ 7 Comments

Hi, everyone!

I have a question for you: do you find that people around you tend to go a bit, well, loopy during a full moon?

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If you’ve had a couple of days like I’ve had, you might be asking this very same question!

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I’ve just found out that today’s full moon is a harvest moon: the full moon closest to the autumn equinox. I have no idea if that has any ‘meaning’ or ‘significance’, but I’m happy to have an excuse to blame all of my problems and craziness on! 😉

I’ve had two super-long working days, so haven’t had a chance to run: back on it tomorrow, though!

Product Review: Bib & Medal Hanger

Product Review: Bib & Medal Hanger

by TartanJogger ♥ 12 Comments

I recently purchased a bib & medal hanger for myself, and a medal hanger for @TheWelshWookie.

We bought them from Running on the Wall who make these by hand. They are based in the US, but post worldwide. I waited, with anticipation, for the parcels to arrive, and within a couple of weeks they were here!

I chose a pink one, with the slogan ‘Celebrate every mile’ as it reflects my feelings about these races. @TheWelshWookie selected a blue one, with the slogan ‘hardware’ on it. Nice!

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They’re made of a really sturdy MDF, and painted with a bit of a vintage feel to them.

We’ve been arguing debating where we should hang them, and we’ve gone for hanging them on a side wall, that leads into the living room. Perfect.

Would you like to see them in situ?

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I think @TheWelshWookie needs to build that collection next year!

Positives: well made, solid, will definitely take the weight of the medals

Negatives: they’re a little expensive; and of course they incurred import tax of an extra £12 on delivery. Ouch!

I’d recommend these to anyone wanting a good display for their achievements.

Rainy Run Road Test

Rainy Run Road Test

by TartanJogger ♥ 10 Comments

I’ve been waiting all day, to road test some of the new gear I bought over the weekend. I decided to try out my cool stripy tights 😀

We’ve had dreadful weather here, with gale force wind and really heavy downpours, but nothing was going to stop me from trying out these babies!

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Instead of heading to the harbour, we turned left, and ran along the Campbeltown road. @TheWelshWookie suggested running up the hill on the main road, instead of running to the West Loch: a suggestion he later regretted when he realised how steep the hill was! It was tough, but I’m really feeling the benefit of the hill training paying off.

You can see the elevation 🙂

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The hill gave me a chance to put the tights to the test. OK- so I know these are workout tights, not running tights. I know that I’ve gone for style over substance. BUT they are really comfortable to wear, and ideal for short runs. They did slip a little, so I probably won’t wear them on longer runs, or to races. But I do really like them.

@TheWelshWookie liked his new gear, too, including the new knee support, which is for his oldmanitis!

We were absolutely soaked by the time we got home, but I felt great! Autumn has definitely arrived, and I might have to dig out my running gloves soon…. my fingers were a little cold; it was around 10C/50F

On another note, the ticket ordering for the Commonwealth Games 2014 closed tonight: I hope I get some of those I’ve requested!

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Today’s Stats:

Run: 2 mile, hills

Time: 20:26 pretty good!

Weather: Rainy, and quite cold

Trainers: Nike LunarFly GTX

Today’s Life Lesson: Why do socks always come out of the washer in odd numbers?

What is your favourite running outfit?

A Weekend Round Up

A Weekend Round Up

by TartanJogger ♥ 6 Comments

Evening all, have you had a good weekend? I’ve had a blast!

My shopping spree yesterday went better than I had anticipated (although @TheWelshWookie was driven bonkers by other shoppers barging in front of him 😮 ). We popped into the Nike store, only to find that they had a SALE on! Yes, that’s right, I accidentally walked into a sale. In the Nike shop. Oh. My. Goodness.

And so, I was very controlled went a wee bit crazy, but at least I stocked up on some winter running gear, and not some frivolous stuff!

I bought two pairs of full length tights, one pair is a funky blue stripy number, and I also bought the dri-fit knit long sleeve top that  I have been coveting for months, since it was on SALE! Yay!

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@TheWelshWookie also got some gear. including this rather bright number:

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And, as it was the day before the Great North Run, I made @TheWelshWookie take my photo with the picture of Mo, in the Nike Store. Yes: I have no shame….

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I then had a great night celebrating my god daughter’s birthday, which included a shedload one or two glasses of vino….!

This morning began with some more shopping (grocery shopping, bo-ring) and then we settled down to watch the build up of the GNR. I might have mentioned once or twice (or maybe more) to @TheWelshWookie that I really want to run it next year. It looked brilliant! I’m sure everyone will have seen the final couple of miles of the elite race, with Mo Farah just losing out on first place by one second: his sprint finish was just not enough. It was so exciting!

Congratulations to everyone who ran: I hope you enjoyed it, and are celebrating tonight.

We’ve been to a family Christening, and are now home, watching football. My team, the Jaguars, are facing @TheWelshWookie’s team, the Raiders, so tonight is going to be fun!

In other weekend news, Carolyn and Dougie have successfully completed the Beatson Challenge! They are so amazing, and I’m in awe of what they have achieved! We drove past them on our way to Glasgow on Saturday, and they managed a wave and a smile: they were looking really strong!

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You can see their photos here

I’m looking forward to running tomorrow, road testing a pair of my new tights 😀

Saturday Shopping!

Saturday Shopping!

by TartanJogger ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Today, we’re shop, shop, shopping!

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I’m sure i’m not alone with this one: when I’m excitedly anticipating a shopping trip, I picture myself gliding in and out the boutiques, looking effortlessly glamorous, purchasing everything I want and more, with ease:

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Instead, I can’t find what I want, and end up running about buying random things I don’t need, spending a fortune…

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But, secretly, I always have fun. And all that walking about burns calories, right?

Day off Work = Day on Running

Day off Work = Day on Running

by TartanJogger ♥ 7 Comments

I have a long weekend off! Woop Woop!

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And so, I’ve made use of my day: I’ve been a domestic Goddess, been shopping in the village, (and on the internet), packed for our weekend trip and gone for a run! Today is the first day that @TheWelshWookie has been for a run since our trail run on Sunday. We did a pretty solid 5K relaxed run, which I really enjoyed.

As we were heading home, the kids were having sailing lessons. By the sound of their whooping and laughter, they were having a great time! 😀

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We’ve been healthy kids, and had a lovely salmon salad for dinner:

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Beatson Challenge Update:

Day two of their three day challenge is over. Today’s section included running up (and down) The Rest and Be Thankful: a big hill which marks the half way point to Glasgow. It’s called The Rest and Be Thankful for a very good reason 😮

The report is that they even managed to run a little further than they had planned today, which must be a really good sign. They are doing absolutely brilliantly!

It’s likely that we’ll drive past them tomorrow on our way to Glasgow, so we’ll give them a wave from you all!

Today’s Stats:

Run: 5K easy run

Time: 31:12

Weather: Cloudy. It’s definitely getting cooler

Trainers: Nike Lunar Glides

Favourite Running Track Today:

Today’s Life Lesson: When you switch on the dishwasher, remember to check that you’ve put the tablet in properly 😉

What are your plans for the weekend?

Thought for Thursday

Thought for Thursday

by TartanJogger ♥ 1 Comment

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That sums up my Thursday 😉

Hang in there, the weekend is coming!

The Beatson Challenge

The Beatson Challenge

by TartanJogger ♥ 5 Comments

Tomorrow, two fantastic local runners, Carolyn and Dougie, are taking on a huge challenge, which they have called the Beatson Challenge. They are running an ultra marathon, over three days: running from the Beatson Oncology Unit in Glasgow to Tarbert, raising funds for the Friends of the Beatson. They’ll be running 100 miles, over three days.

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Wow.

They have been keeping all of their supporters up to date on their facebook page, which you can find here. I’m hoping that you’ll pay their site a little visit, to offer support to them in their amazing challenge.

They are raising funds for a fantastic cause, and if you are interested in supporting them, you can do so here.

I’m wishing Carolyn and Dougie the very best of luck and support over the next three days: you can do this!

Short and Sharp

Short and Sharp

by TartanJogger ♥ 2 Comments

Short and Sharp. No, not my temper- though usually it is 😉 but my run this evening!

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I thought I should head out, and do a short, sharp threshold run, to see if I can build up some speed in advance of my races in October. And I ran pretty slow by most folks standards fast- for me 😉

During my first mile, I kinda forgot that I was supposed to be doing a threshold run, so I managed a mile in 9:27. My second mile was much better, at 9.05, so I was really pleased with that.

It was just as well I only planned to do two miles, as I definitely could not have maintained that for a third mile tonight!

On my way home, I found my first heart! 😀 runningtoherdreams has some beautiful pictures of nature’s hearts on her blog, and I’ve been looking for one for weeks. And tonight, I finally found one 🙂

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Today’s Stats:

Run: 2 miles, threshold run

Time: 18:32

Weather: Cloudy with still some warmth in the air. It’s definitely getting cooler, though

Trainers: Nike Lunar Glides

Favourite Running Track Today: I’ve waited ten days to come across this one on my iPod!

Today’s Life Lesson: Some days, you just make good, steady progress. Be grateful for these, they don’t come often!

When did you last do a threshold run?